Improvement in corn-planter



inied tapes jAMEssELBY,oF

PEoRIA,1LLINois Letters Patent No. 92,659, dated July 13, 1869.

IMPROVEMENT IN CORN-PLANTER.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES SELBY, of`Peoria, in the county of Peoria, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gorn- Planters; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, like letters indicating like parts wherever they occur.

To enable others skilled in the art to construct and use my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

My invention relates to corn-planting machines and the invention consists in certain improvements in the valves and tubes for measuring and dropping the seed, the present invention being an improvement upon the machines heretofore patented to me at various times.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a rear elevation of one of the hoppers mounted on its runner, with the tubes and valves attached, ready for. use;

l Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the saine, on the line x-:t of g. 1;

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section of the seedtube, det-ached, taken on the line y-y offlg. 2; and

Figure 4 isa top-plan View .of the seed-tube detached.

'.lhc general construction of the machine is the same as described iu my former patents, and need not, therefore, belerein described, it being understood, however, that these improvements are applicable also to other machines of the same class.

.The hopper A, with its bottom plate B, the seedslide or upper valve C, and the lower plate D, to which the runner L, andthe seed-tube E are attached, I construct as described in the patents hereinbefore referred to.

t The seed-tube E, which is connected to the runner L, as represented in lig. 2, is made quadrangular in its cross-section, and is closed on its rear side for about one-half its length, from the top downward, from whence the rear plate (Jr inclines inward, and terminates against the front wall of .the tube at about onethird the length of the tube above the bottom, as shown more clearly in fig. 2, there being two holes or openings, o and n, formed side by side in the lower or inclined portion of the plate G, as represented in figs. 1 and 3.

A division-plate, j, is inserted vertically in the centre of thc sccd-tnbe lll, from front to rear, thus dividing the tube E, above the inclined portion of plate G, into two ducts or passages, it and fi, corresponding with the openings o and n, as represented in lig. 3.

This division-plate j, instead of extending straight n1 to the'topoftnbe E, is slit vertically at its centre,

for a short distance from the top downward, one part being bent or inclined tothe right, and the other part being similarly inclined to the left, and the extreme ends of these parts being soldered or otherwise secured to the corresponding sides or walls of the tube E, as shown in iig. 1.

A division-plate, t, is then placed transversely across the top of tube E, extending downward as4 far as the bottom of the slit in plate f, and at right angles tothe latter, as represented in iig. 3.

By this arrangement of division-plates, the tube is divided into two parallel and equal passages, from the inclined portion of plate G'up to the lower edge of Aplate t, from whence the passages are continued, right angles to their position below, up to the top ot the tube, or to plate D, to which the tube E is se cured, the upper portion of the passages extending entirely across the mouth of the tube from right to left, that corresponding with the passage ibcingat:

the front, and the other leading to passage h', being in rear of the plate t, these upper passages thus coming directly under the ports or holes in the seed-slide C, one of these holes u being in the front portion. of the slide, and the other hole c being in the rear portion, as shown in g. 2.

I then provide a lever, F, having its lower end wide enough to cover either of the openings o or n, in the inclined portion of plate G, and lpivot it on the outside to plate G by a pin or bolt, c, as shown in iigs. l and 2 The upper end of this lever or valve F, I extend np through a slot provided for it in the plate D, and let it enter a recess, fw, in the rear edge of slide C, as represented in gs. 1 and 2, this recessbeing so pro' portioned in length to the distance the slide O travels, as to give to the valve or lever F sufficient motion to cause its 'lower end to move from one to the other of the holes o and a, thus alternately opening and closing them, as the slidel C is operated.

It is obvious that the distance the lower end of lever F travels may be regulated by raising or loweringf'its fulerum, a, it being' necessary, however, in all'fcases that the valve F should so move as to close the lower end ofthe passage before the slide C drops the grain in at its upper end.

The motion of slide G is limi-ted by stops, e, on its rear edge, which are arranged to come in contact with the lugs lc, which are cast with theplate B, and through which the screws pass that secure the plates B and D tothe hopper A.

By this method of1 constructing and arranging the seed-tube and valves, I am enabled to produce a lvery perfect and easily-operating machine.

The passages hand lare of good size, and, being perpendicular, insure the falling of the seed without clogging; and the inclination of the plate G causes the seed to rest directly on the valve below, and con-l sequently to drop the instant the valve is moved.

By locating the valve outside of the tube, and on its rear sidert is always within sight, and the tube E being open below `the valve, permits the driver to see whether or not the seed is deposited as it should be at all times. By tlis arrangement, also, the valve F can be detached at any time, by simply removing a nut on the pin a, without at all interfering with any` of the other parts of thc machine.

Having thus described my lnvention,

1. The seed-tube E, with thepartition f, and its rear inclined plate G, constructed and arranged substantially as and for the purpose described.

tially as described.

2. The lever or valve F, pivoted upon the outside of the seed-tube, and haring its lower end bent to adapt it to the inclined face of the plate G, and arranged to operate substantially as described.

3. The combination of tbc tube E, valveF, and slide C, when constructed and arranged to operate substan- 4 JAMES SELBY.

Witnesses MICHAEL D. SPENCK, A.l B. FINK. 

